A. 

a: 

o  - 

0  = 

o : 

7 
B  ; 

5 

3 
0 
2 

1 


•». 


SA e  Jtrep,  <  ■ 
V9  eo\d( 


—      Medli.t* 


O    / 


/ 


/ 


FROM 

Addressograph  Sales  Co. 

123  BAY  ST. 
TORONTO.  ONT. 


The  Preparation  and 
Care  of  Mailing  Lists 


A  working  manual  that  covers  every 
phase  of  list  handling,  from  obtaining 
names  of  "live"  prospects  without  ad- 
vertising for  them,  to  handling  lists 
economically  and  productively.  Based 
on  the  experiences  of  successful  firms 
in  all  lines  of  business 


BY 

W.  K.  PAGE 


PUBLISHED  BY 

ADDRESSOGRAPH  COMPANY 

CHICAGO  ILLINOIS 


Copyright,  1014,  by 
AdilressogrBph  Company 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Pn«e 

I  Guesswork  vs.  Certainty  in 

Advertising        7 

II  The  Value  of  Mailing  Lists        11 

III  How  to  Compile  Mailing  Lists        ....     17 


IV         Points  to  Watch  in  Compiling 

Lists 32 


V  How  to  Keep  Lists  Up  to  Date  .     .     .40 

VI  Handling  Lists  Automatically  ....     50 


CHAPTER  I 

Guesswork  vs.  Certainty  in 
Advertising 

ANEW  age  in  advertising  is  at  hand. 
Advertising  has  traversed  the  route  of 
all  things  mortal — from  the  crude  to  the 
finished,  the  complex  to  the  simple,  the  uncertain 
to  the  certain,  the  wasteful  to  the  economical. 

First  came  the  discovery  of  the  mighty  force 
of  advertising.  Then  to  advertise  simply  meant 
to  tell  all  the  public  about  your  goods — to  spread 
the  news  broadcast  whether  it  fall  on  barren  or 
fertile  ground.  That  was  the  age  of  General 
Publicity. 

In  due  course  advertisers  came  to  realize  that 
all  advertising  was  not  necessarily  good  adver- 
tising. Some  of  it  was  wantonly  wasteful  as  well 
as  absurd.  They  began  to  apply  to  the  subject 
of  advertising,  that  had  hitherto  been  shrouded 
in  mystery,  common-sense  business  methods. 
Then  came  the  awakening.  Many  an  advertiser 
came  to  his  senses  with  a  sharp  jerk  and  realized 
that  he,  like  the  traveler  lost  in  the  forest,  had 
been  traveling  around  in  circles  instead  of  tak- 
ing the  short  cut. 

[  1  1 


A  NEW  AGE  IN  ADVERTISING 


The  next  age  or  step  in  advertising  was  the 
elimination  of  broadcast,  haphazard  appeals  to 
the  public  in  general,  and  an  endeavor  to  con- 
centrate efforts  on  specific  classes.  This  was  a 
great  step  in  the  right  direction.  Advertising 
was  beginning  to  be  placed  on  a  tangible  basis 
and  to  be  operated  with  a  touch  of  science. 

And  now  advertising  has  passed  the  thres- 
hold of  another  age — the  Individual  Appeal  age — 
known  as  Direct  Advertising.  No  longer  do  ad- 
vertisers shoot  their  appeals  haphazard  all  over 
the  country,  shot-gun  fashion,  in  the  hope  of  hit- 
ting prospective  buyers.  Instead,  they  pick  out 
prospective  buyers  in  advance  of  advertising  to 
them  and  concentrate  their  selling  fire  upon  them 
one  by  one. 

There's  a  lesson  for  every  advertiser  in  the 
taking  of  Vera  Cruz.  In 
the  olden  days  the  fleet 
would  have  pounded  away 
at  the  city  as  a  whole  and 
trusted  to  luck  to  raze  it 
to  the  ground. 

But  today,  what  a 
difference!  Uncle  Sam's 
naval  boys  have  grown 
out  of  the  guesswork 
stage.  Before  firing  a 
single  shot  they  picked  out 
the  vital  spots  in  Vera 
Cruz,  got  them  down  on 


'Bsfor*    /irmj.'    ii    »/j"r    r/i.v   ptclmd 

■  ,m  tin     x  ilnl   IpOtt  unit  fiitur.tl 
out  tin-    riinw  " 


CONCENTRATING  YOUR  FIRE 

paper,  figured  out  the  range  to  a  fraction  of  an 
inch,  and — waited.  Then  when  the  word  came 
they  startled  the  world  with  their  marksmanship 
by  sending  shot  after  shot  flying  through  win- 
dows with  the  accuracy  of  a  diestamp  punching 
holes  in  a  sheet  of  metal. 

The  methods  that  enabled  them  to  do  this 
are  the  methods  of  Direct  Advertising,  namely: 

Instead  of  shooting  haphazard  at  the  ninety- 
odd  million  people  in  the  United  States,  select 
the  class  of  people  that  can  buy  your  goods. 
Then  split  this  class  up  into  individuals.  Get 
their  names  down  on  paper  in  your  office.  Deter- 
mine, on  the  basis  of  experience,  the  best  appeals 
to  use,  and  go  after  prospects  one  by  one  instead 
of  in  a  mass.  Keep  it  up  until  they  capitulate 
and  buy  your  goods. 

Direct  Advertising  is  no  pet  theory  or  thing 
of  mushroom  growth.  Its  practicability  and 
superiority  over  other  forms  of  advertising  for 
most  business,  have  been  demonstrated  time  and 
time  again.     Now  it  is  coming  into  its  own. 

Over  six  hundred  millions  of  dollars  are 
spent  annually  in  the  United  States  for  various 
forms  of  advertising.  Already  Direct  Advertising 
stands  second  on  the  list.  Within  the  next  few 
years,  when  advertisers  are  fully  awake  to  its 
tremendous  possibilities,  it  will  top  the  list. 
There's  no  stopping  it.  Cream  will  always  rise  to 
the  top.  Water  will  always  find  its  level.  Log- 
ical methods  will  always  triumph  sooner  or  later. 

[  9   ] 


THE  MONEY   SPENT  FOR  ADVERTISING 

"Printers'  Ink"  gives  the  following  estimate 
of  annual  advertising  expenditures  in  the  United 
States  for  various  forms  of  advertising.  Note 
that  Direct  Advertising  comes  second  on  the 
list.  If  Direct  Advertising  can  rank  thus  high 
when  most  advertisers  are  chasing  the  General 
Publicity  delusion,  it  is  obvious  that  as  its  sales- 
making  and  cost-cutting  possibilities  become  gen- 
erally known,  it  will  outrank  all  other  mediums  in 
popularity : 

Newspaper  advertising  (retail  and  general)  $250,000,000 
Direct-mail     advertising      (circulars,     form- 
letters,    house-organs,    etc.)    107,000,000 

Magazine  advertising  60,000,000 

Farm  and  mail-order  75,000,000 

Novelty     30,000,000 

Billposting     30,000,000 

Outdoor — electric  signs,  etc 25,000,000 

Demonstration  and  sampling  18,000,000 

Street-car   advertising    10,000,000 

Distributing    6,000.000 

Theatre     programs,     curtain,     and     miscel- 
laneous      5.000,000 

$616,000,000 
In  the  following  pages  is  told  how  concerns 
in  all  lines  of  business — concerns  both  large  and 
small — have  used  and  are  using  Direct  Advertis- 
ing to  sell  the  greatest  volume  of  goods  at  the 
lowest  possible  cost.  Fortunes  have  been  built 
on  these  methods.  They  represent  the  dearly- 
bought  experience  of  hundreds  of  concerns  whose 
names  are  synonyms  for  commercial  success. 
Surely  you  can  profit  by  studying  them. 

I    10   I 


CHAPTER   II 

The  Value  of  Mailing 
Lists 


INTO  Chicago  breezed  a  typical  Westerner 
with  an  Al  land  proposition.  Ample  capital 
he  had  and  a  stack  of  sworn  testimonials  from 
satisfied  purchasers  that  would  make  even  the 
most  doubting  "Doubting  Thomas"  itch  to  get 
his  name  on  the  dotted  line.  He  had  the  "goods," 
the  evidence,  the  money — everything  was  in  his 
favor. 

Then  he  launched  his 
selling  campaign.  No 
piker  was  this  man  when 
it  came  to  spending 
money  to  get  business. 
Not  he — "the  sky's  the 
limit"— he'd  say.  "I'm 
going  to  close  up  this 
deal  right  quick;  why, 
I  can  sell  these  few 
thousand  acres  in  less 
time  than  it  takes  some 
people  to  get  started." 


I   11 


'The  advertising  solicitors  went  away 

smiling  and  happy,  with  fat  space 

contracts  in  their  pockets" 


THE    NIGGER    IN    THE    WOODPILE 

Action ! — that's  what  he  wanted.  And  he 
surely  got  it.  Advertising  solicitors  for  the 
newspapers  he  had  come  to  his  office  on  the 
double-quick.  They  went  away  smiling  and 
happy  with  fat  space  contracts  in  their  pockets. 

Then  inquiries  began  to  come  in  from  the 
advertisements.  They  were  turned  over  to  sales- 
men to  follow  up.  Each  successive  advertisement 
brought  a  bunch  of  inquiries.  Some  sales  were 
made.  Two  months  elapsed,  the  rush  and  excite- 
ment of  getting  things  started  died  down,  and  the 
business  settled  down  to  fixed  routine. 

At  luncheon  one  day  the  land  man  ran  across 
an  old  friend  in  the  advertising  business.  To 
him  he  opened  up.  He  threw  aside  his  office  mask 
of  self-satisfaction,  and  confided  that  things  were 
not  going  well  with  him.  "The  trouble  is,"  he 
continued,  "that  it  costs  me  'way  too  much  to 
get  inquiries.'  I  figured  up  this  morning  and 
found  that  each  inquiry  I've  received  thus  far  has 
cost  me  fifteen  dollars.  If  all  these  inquiries 
resulted  in  sales,  it  would  be  all  right.  But  they 
don't — only  a  small  percentage  pans  out.  And 
that  sends  my  selling  cost  up  far  too  high.  I'm 
buying  business  instead  of  selling  land.  Some- 
thing has  got  to  be  done,  and  done  mighty  quick." 

"As  I  see  it,"  broke  in  the  advertising  man, 
"your  prospects  are  farmers?" 

"Yes." 

"City  people  as  a  whole  and  farmers  who 
have  little  or  no  money  are  no  good  to  you." 

f   12  1 


ANOTHER  PET  THEORY  SMASHED 

"Right,"  returned  the  land  man. 
"Then  what's  the  use  in  paying  money  for 
broadcast  advertising  to  reach  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  people  who  are  of  no  use  to  you? 
Why  not  get  a  list  of  farmers  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Chicago,  who  have  money,  and  con- 
centrate your  efforts  on  them?  That's  all  your 
advertising  is  now  doing  for  you — producing  a 
list  of  names.  And  each  name  costs  you  fifteen 
dollars — about  fourteen  dollars  and  ninety-five 
cents  too  much.  I  can  get  for  you  a  list  of  names 
of  farmers  with  money  in  any  locality  you  name. 
And  the  names  won't  cost  you  more  than  an 
average  of  five  cents  each." 

Disbelief  was  written  all  over  the  land  man's 
face.  But  he  was  willing  to  be  shown.  Instead 
of  saying  "it  can't  be  done,"  he  snapped  back, 

"get  me  a  list  of  names 
of  farmers  with  money 
in  and  around  these  three 
towns,"  and  he  wrote 
out  the  town  names  on 
the  back  of  the  menu. 

The  advertising  man 
returned  to  his  office 
and  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
assistan^^ashjer  of  the 
bank  in_e^ch  of  the  three 
towns,  offering  five  cents 
a  name  for  a  list  of 
local  farmers  of  standing. 

'At  luncheon  the  land  man  met  an  old  [    13    1 

friend  in  the  advertising 
business 


FACTS  THAT  CARRY  A  JOLT 


When  each  list  came  in  he  had  it  copied  in 
triplicate  and  sent  a  copy  to  the  justice  of_  the 
^peace  and  the  .flfljt.or  of  the  newspaper  in  each 
town  asking  them  to  check  the  list  for  accuracy 
and  to  add  any  names  not  listed.  For  this  service 
he  enclosed  with  each  letter  a  check  for  one 
dollar. 

Inside  of  two  weeks  he  had  three  lists  that 
were  of  undeniable  accuracy,  each  having  been 
compiled  by  the  local  bank  man  and  checked  by 
the  local  editor  and  a  justice  of  the  peace — men 
whose  reports  could  be  relied  upon  as  their 
business  brought  them  into  intimate  touch  with 
local  men  and  affairs. 

With  an  expression  of  mingled  surprise  and 
eagerness  the  land  man  took  the  lists  from  his 
friend  and  listened  to  a  detailed  account  of  how 
they  were  obtained  and  verified.  Then  he  found 
his  voice.  "To  think,"  he  snapped,  "that  I  was 
paying  fifteen  dollars  apiece  and  waiting  months 
to  get  identically  the  same  class  of  names  that 
you  bring  in  by  the  hundred,  in  a  couple  of 
weeks,  at  a  cost  of  about  five  cents  a  name. 
Some  one  please  kick  me." 

The  names  were  put  on  the  regular  follow- 
up  list.  A  goodly  number  was  developed  into 
sales.  Carefully-kept  records  showed  a  striking 
fact — that  indentically  the  same  percentage  of 
sales  resulted  from  the  lists  of  names  as  from 
the  inquiries  obtained  through  advertisements. 
Six    months    later    the    land    man    sold    his    last 


FORTUNES  BUILT  ON  LIVE  NAMES 

tract  of  land,  closed  his  office  and  went  back  west 
with  a  profound  respect  for  mailing  lists,  and  a 
lesson  learned  that  simple  methods  often  produce 
the  biggest  results. 

This  is  not  an  exceptional  case  that  applies 
only  to  the  land  business.  Basically  the  same 
idea  applies  to  every  business.  Many  a  concern 
is  buying  names  through  advertising  at  an  in- 
flated cost  of  several  hundred  per  cent  while  their 
competitors  are  outselling  and  underselling  them 
by  using  mailing  lists. 

No  business  exists  but  what  can  make 
profitable  use  of  mailing  lists.  Some  business 
can  reach  all  their  prospects  simply  by  using 
mailing  lists;  others  need  to  use  mailing  lists 
in  conjunction  with  press  advertising.  It  all 
depends  on  the  nature  of  the  business  and  the 
type  of  person  sold  to. 

Instances  of  fortunes  built  on  mailing  lists 
abound.  A  publisher  sold  over  a  million  dollars' 
worth  of  a  set  of  books  through  the  medium  of 
carefully  compiled  lists  of  names.  A  country 
retailer  boosted  his  sales  by  forty  per  cent  simply 
by  persistently  circularizing  a  selected  list  of 
names.  A  wholesaler  placed  a  new  brand  of 
goods  with  the  trade  in  record  time  and  at  unbe- 
lievably low  cost  by  the  use  of  mailing  lists  of 
retailers  and  consumers.  A  man  with  an  idea  has 
just  sold  $2,500,000  worth  of  securities  through 
the  use  of  mailing  lists  at  a  gross  selling  cost  of 
fifteen  per  cent.,  and  this  during  a  period  when 

[  15  1 


INSIDE  FACTS  ON   BIG  SUCCESSES 

capital  was  as  shy  of  new  investments  as  a  rabbit 
is  of  a  charge  of  buckshot. 

A  wholesale  mail  order  house  built  up  sales 
of  over  ten  million  dollars  a  year  simply  by 
compiling  lists  of  possible  buyers  and  following 
them  up  persistently.  And  one  of  the  greatest 
specialty  i  oncerns  in  the  world,  that  sells  over  a 
million  dollars'  worth  of  goods  a  month,  built  up 
and  maintaned  this  huge  business  by  the  skilful 
use  of  mailing  lists  in  conjunction  with  a  force  of 
salesmen. 

The  following  pages  tell  specifically  how  to 
compile  and  handle  mailing  lists  of  all  kinds — 
lists  for  local  as  well  as  national  use;  lists  for  the 
one-man  concern,  the  middle-sized  concern,  to 
great  industries  whose  operations  are  nation-wide. 
Boiled-down  records  of  dearly-bought  experience, 
truths  gleaned  from  scores  of  hard-fought 
business  battles,  are  these  pages.  They  make 
Opportunity  your  working  partner — give  you 
chances  the  "other  man"  never  had. 


I    M    1 


LOCAL 


City 


Telephc 


Blue  Book 


note:-  77, 

Sou  rues  givi 
are  suggest  i\ 
only  as  the 
nature  anc 
number  of 
direcrorie. 
differ  wit i 
each  localit 
It  is  a  simp! 
matter  to  oi 
tain  a  con 
plete  list  oi 
directories 
published  if, 
your  localit] 


COPYRIGHT, 


Sources  of  Names  of  Prospects 


n 


[directories  |  [governmental  records]    I  organizations!  [press  clippings)  [amtsI^  I  miscellaneous 


LOCAL      NATIONAL     MUNICIPAL    COlNm  STATE     NATIONAL         BUSINESS    GENERAL 


City  Rating- Books      CityTa.  Lis 


Telephone  [  |Traae  Directorial  [pi7i.ll  Betords 


|L,cea„fceorJ, 


lMsi.i.8     B«..J: 


t.«  List.      Um«T»L,.ts     CummercialClub     Fratern 


|CuuntyTa»  Lists]  |  Labor  R^rd,] 


Semtsiy./St, 
RecorJs 


(CU||    Labor 

in 


ic.«or.^iiwn 


1 — ^~ 


NOTE-  A,„rg„„„„„ 


Notices, naeneral  thai 


Maoaiines  EinpW«yUJCn« 


Newspape 


Exchanging    L 
nth  otW  Cone 


|  Addr«sine  Companies! 

Salesmen',    Report.    | 

|     Investigator.       | 

|     R.F   D     Carriers      | 

|         Customer,          | 

|     Delivery  Men        | 

|     Bank    Cashiers     | 

|    Justices  «/„)rPe.«  | 

|       Country  Editor,     | 

|              Dealers 

CHAPTER  III 

How  to  Compile  Mailing 
Lists 

THE  first  essential  in  list  compilation  is  to 
get  the  right  perspective.  And  the  way  to 
do  this  is  to  look  at  sources  of  names  just 
as  one  of  your  salesmen  looks  at  his  territory. 
Just  as  it  is  inadvisable  for  a  salesman  to  submit 
his  proposition  haphazard  to  everyone  in  his 
territory,  irrespective  of  their  line  of  business  and 
purchasing  power,  so  is  it  inadvisable  for  a  list- 
compiler  to  list  haphazard  every  name  at  his 
disposal.  The  principle  of  selection  needs  to  be 
observed. 

A  salesman  generally  has  a  fairly  good  idea 
of  the  class  of  people  to  whom  his  goods  can  be 
sold.  Accordingly  he  concentrates  on  them  and 
passes  by  people  who  do  not  come  under  this 
class. 

The  compiler  of  lists  needs  to  possess  the 
salesman's  viewpoint  and  to  make  each  name  pass 
the  test  of  "Is  this  man  a  live  prospect?"  before 
he  enters  it  on  the  list.  By  holding  this  idea  in 
mind  he  can  easily  separate  the  wheat  from  the 
chaff  and  produce  lists  that  are  approximately 
one  hundred  per  cent  "live." 

[  17  ] 


JUST  HOW  TO  GET  LIVE  NAMES 


Almost  limitless  are  the  sources  of  names 
for  any  class  of  business.  The  chart  facing  page 
16  shows  the  main  sources  from  which  concerns 
that  have  won  notable  successes  through  the  use 
of  mailing  lists  obtain  names. 

Take  the  first  classification  in  the  chart — 
Directories.  To  even  attempt  to  make  a  complete 
list  of  all  directories  is  a  formidable  task.  And 
even  if  such  a  list  were  published  in  this  book  it 
would  not  help  much,  as  only  a  small  number  of 
the  directories  listed  would  be  of  use  to  any  one 
firm.  It  is  a  comparatively  simple  matter  for  any 
firm  to  obtain  a  more  or  less  complete  list  of 
directories  suitable  for  its  use.  Inquiry  among 
publishers  of  directories,  and  publishers  of  trade 
journals,  will  result  in  names  of  directories  un- 
known to  the  average  man. 

Typical  of  directories 
that  contain  valuable 
names  are,  "Telephony's" 
directory  of  telephone 
companies;  Brown's  direc- 
tory of  American  gas 
companies;  McGraw's  di- 
rectory of  electric  light, 
gas,  and  electric  railways; 
Thomas'  directory  of 
American  manufacturers. 
Directories  are  obtainable 
of  practically  every  line  of 
trade.  Inquiry  among  your 


'The    list    compiler    needs    to    select 

names  in  carefully  M  <>  MIMWM 

i,  /.  <  is  prospects  U>  call  upon" 


[   18  1 


WHY  PAY  FOR  WHAT  IS  FREE? 


business  friends  also  will  yield  names  of  many 
worthwhile  directories  suitable  for  your  use. 

The  second  classification  in  the  chart — 
Governmental  records — is  a  fruitful  source  of 
valuable  names.  It  will  pay  any  concern  to  get 
into  touch  with  city  and  state  government  de- 
partments in  territories  in  which  it  is  pushing 
for  business.  Many  valuable  lists  of  names,  at 
the  disposal  of  the  public,  will  be  discovered. 
A  personal  visit  to  the  city  or  state  governmental 
office  is  preferable  to  correspondence.  Take  the 
city  of  Chicago,  for  example.  A  talk  with  the 
City  Clerk  disclosed  the  fact  that  the  following 
classified  lists  are  at  the  disposal  of  responsible 
parties : 


Acetylene  gas,  collection, 

Amusement  parks, 

Airdomes,  sideshows,  etc., 

Auctioneers, 

Automobiles,    public    pas- 
senger,  on   stands, 

Automobile    passenger, 
35   HP  or  less, 

Automobile,    passenger, 
more  than  35-HF 

Automobile,  delivery 
wagons,  capacity  less 
than  one  ton, 
or    compression    of, 

Bakeries, 

Baseball   fields, 

Billiard    and    pool    tables, 

Boarding    stables, 

Boats,  launches,  etc., 


Bowling  alleys, 

Brokers, 

Circuses,  menageries,  etc., 

Concerts, 

Fireworks    exhibitions, 

Halls  for  Dances, 

Lectures,  art  exhibits,  etc., 

Merry-go-rounds, 

Penny  arcades, 

Platform,    walk-around, 

Pony   or   animal   rides. 

Shows, 

Roller  or  ice  skating. 

rinks, 
Skill  and  strength  testing 

devices, 
Summer  gardens, 
Swimming    shows, 
Theatres, 
Wrestling    matches, 


[    19   ] 


NAMES    FREE   FOR   THE   ASKING 


Cabs,    public, 
Carbonated  waters,  etc., 
Cartridges  and  shells, 
Catch-basins  and  sewers, 
cleaners  of, 

Chauffeurs, 

Cigarette    dealers, 

Coupes,  public, 

Deadly    weapons,    dealers 
in, 

Delicatessen    stores, 

Detective  agencies, 

Distillers, 

Dispensaries,  medical, 

Dogs, 

Drain  layers, 

Drivers    of    public    pas- 
senger   horse-drawn 
vehicles, 

Drug  stores, 

Dry  cleaners, 

Electrical    contractors, 

Engineers,    stationary, 

Fireworks,  sale  of, 

Fishmongers, 

Garages, 

Gunpowder  and  explo- 
sives, sale  or  use  of, 

Hacks,  public, 

Hospitals, 


Hotels, 

House  movers. 

Ice    dealers, 

Junk    dealers, 

Livery    Stables, 

Lumber    dealers. 

Meat  markets. 

Milk  dealers, 

Motor   bicycles, 

Moving    picture    films, 
storage  of, 

Moving  picture  operators, 

Natatoriums     and     swim- 
ming pools. 

Nurseries,   public, 

Omnibuses, 

Pawnbrokers, 

Peddlers,    various, 

Plumbers, 

Poulterers, 

Restaurants, 

Saloons, 

Second-hand  dealers. 

Shooting   galleries, 

Soap  factories, 

Canneries, 

Tickers, 

Undertakers, 

Workshops. 


It  is  not  a  part  of  the  city's  business  to 
supply  these  lists  of  names  they  are  not  issued 
in  printed  form.  The  city  officials,  however, 
are  at  all  times  willing  to  give  any  responsible 
individual  access  to  their  classified  records  and 


I    N    | 


HAVE  YOU  EVER  THOUGHT  OF  THIS? 

to  allow  him  to  copy  them  on  the  premises.  A 
good  plan,  adopted  by  many  firms,  is  to  send 
two  of  their  employes  to  the  city  hall — a  clerk 
to  call  out  the  names  and  addresses,  and  a 
stenographer  to  record  them. 

From  state  and  county  officials  valuable 
names  can  be  obtained.  For  example,  the  state 
of  Illinois  issues  monthly  a  list  of  persons  to 
whom  automobile  licenses  have  been  issued, 
giving  number  of  license  and  name  and  address 
of  the  applicant.  Copies  of  these  booklets  can 
be  obtained  from  the  Secretary  of  State  for  ten 
cents  each. 

From  the  map  in  the  county  recorder's 
office  can  be  obtained  the  names  and  addresses 
of  owners  of  real  estate — to  the  amount  of  five 
acres  or  more — throughout  the  entire  county. 
In  the  treasurer's  office  the  tax  lists  afford 
splendid  opportunity  to  obtain  new  names  and 
verify  others. 

Organizations  of  all  kinds — business,  pro- 
fessional and  social — are  splendid  sources  of  live 
names.  A  complete  list  of  members  of  any 
organization  can  usually  be  obtained  without 
much  trouble.  If  you  know  a  member  of  the 
club  through  whom  you  can  obtain  a  list  of 
members,  so  much  the  better;  but  if  not,  a  frank 
talk  with  the  secretary  usually  will  result  in 
your  obtaining  the  list  of  names  you  wish.  Every 
city  and  town  has  dozens  of  organizations  of 
which  the  average  man  never  hears.     It  will  pay 

[  21  1 


A  TALK  THAT  TURNED  THE  TIDE 

any  concern  interested  in  obtaining  live  names 
to  systematically  look  up  organizations  of  all 
kinds. 

Here  is  a  typical  example  of  the  sales  possi- 
bilities of  a  list  of  members  in  a  club.  A  time- 
stamp  manufacturer  in  Chicago  found  that  most 
of  his  sales  of  a  certain  model  were  made  through 
superintendents  of  plants.  How  to  get  names 
of  superintendents  was  his  problem.  He  tried 
magazine  and  newspaper  advertising — excellent 
in  its  way.  but  wasteful  from  the  standpoint  of 
appealing  almost  exclusively  to  superintendents. 
One  day  he  was  discussing  his  sales  problems 
with  the  advertising  manager  of  another 
specialty  concern  whom  he  had  met  at  luncheon. 
This  man  had  broken  sales  records  for  his  firm 
by  discarding  general  advertising  in  favor  of 
Direct  Advertising. 

"Your  proposition  is  easy,"  said  he  to  the 
time-stamp  manufacturer.  "All  you  have  to  do 
is  to  get  names  of  superintendents  of  plants,  ap- 
peal to  them  by  mail,  and  follow-up  with  sales- 
men." 

"But  where  can  I  get  names  of  superintend- 
ents without  advertising  for  them?  I  know  of 
no  other  way  than  to  canvas  firms  for  them." 

"What's  the  matter  with  the  superintend- 
ents' Club  of  Chicago?" 

"Superintendents'  Club?"  repeated  the  manu- 
facturer in  surprise;     "never  heard  of  it." 

"Come  around  to  our  plant  and  111  introduce 

I    M    I 


DOLLAR-MAKING   EYE-OPENERS 


you  to  our  superintendent  and  arrange  for  him 
to  give  you  a  list  of  members." 

The  manufacturer  obtained  a  list  of  superin- 
tendents in  Chicago.  He  sent  a  series  of  six 
pieces  of  mail  matter  to  each  member  in  con- 
junction with  personal  calls  by  his  salesmen. 
Months  later,  all  smiles,  he  dropped  in  to  see  the 
advertising  manager  whose  suggestion  he  had 
adopted,  and  announced,  "That  idea  of  yours  was 
a  winner.  Thus  far  I've  sold  eleven  per  cent  of 
the  names  on  the  list,  at  one-third  the  selling 
cost  of  my  old  method.  I'm  using  your  idea  on 
other  associations  and  have  obtained  several  lists 
of  names  that  promise  to  pan  out  as  well  as  that 
of  the   Superintendents'  Club." 

So  many  clubs  and 
organizations  are  now  in 
existence  that  practically 
every  firm — no  matter 
what  it  sells — can  make 
exceedingly  profitable  use 
of  this  source  of  names. 

Magazines,  news- 
papers and  trade  journals 
are  live  sources  of  names. 
Wrapped  up  in  even  the 
most  commonplace  news 
item  is  often  a  pointer  for 
someone  that  will  yield 
profitable  sales.  Accounts 
of  engagements  and  wed-  1 

'The  advertising    manager  intro- 
r    o;5    1  duced    the    manufacturer    to    the 

superintendent  of  his  firm 's  plant ' ' 


CLIPPINGS   THAT   YIELD    SALES 

dings  offer  sales  possibilities  to  insurance  men, 
architects,  real  estate  men,  banks,  stores,  man- 
ufacturers of  specialties  used  in  the  home,  etc. 
Notices  of  accidents,  to  insurance  men,  man- 
ufacturers of  artificial  limbs  and  surgical  appli- 
ances, and  manufacturers  of  protective  devices 
in  general. 

The  manufacturer  of  a  fireproof  roofing  sub- 
scribes to  a  press-clipping  bureau  for  accounts 
of  fires  that  started  on  the  roofs  of  buildings. 
Persons  who  have  suffered  loss  and  inconvenience 
in  this  connection  are  live  prospects  for  his  fire- 
proof roofing. 

Similarly  a  safety  elevator  firm  uses  press 
notices  of  elevator  accidents;  a  stove  polish 
manufacturer,  for  accounts  of  explosions  in  the 
home  due  to  inflammable  polish ;  a  heating  con- 
cern for  notices  of  fires  due  to  a  certain  type  of 
furnace.  Similar  instances  can  be  given  almost 
indefinitely. 

Some  concerns  subscribe  to  a  number  of 
periodicals  and  search  out  sales  pointers  them- 
selves. Others  subscribe  to  a  press-clipping 
bureau.  The  cost  of  this  service  varies  according 
to  the  number  of  clippings  supplied  per  month, 
and  their  nature.  A  service  sufficient  for  the 
average  business  can  be  obtained  for  about  five 
dollars  a  month. 

Methods  of  obtaining  names  through  adver- 
tising in  publications  are  so  well  known  as  to 
need   no  explanation.     Experience  shows  that  a 

[   M    ] 


MAKING  ADS   PRODUCE   MORE 


greater  number  of  inquiries  can  be  pulled  from 
any  advertisement  by  offering  to  send  to  in- 
quirers an  informative,  human-interest  booklet 
instead  of  the  usual  catalog  or  suggestion  to 
"write  for  particulars."  Few  persons  are  pri- 
marily interested  in  your  proposition  itself,  but 
they  are  interested  in  what  it  will  do  for  them. 
The  Burroughs  Adding  Machine  Company  cashes 
in  on  this  tendency  by  advertising  informative 
booklets  instead  of  adding  machines.  In  a  re- 
cent issue  of  "Printers'  Ink,"  E.  St.  Elmo  Lewis, 
advertising  manager  of  the  company,  writes: 

"...  I  took  six  ads  in  the  'Saturday 
Evening  Post'  and  got  231  inquiries  and  51  sales. 
I  then  took  our  book,  'A  Better  Day's  Profits,' 
put  in  an  ad  of  the  same  size,  and  got  3,362  in- 
quiries out  of  one  advertisement.  From  this  we 
got  261  trials  and  sold  232  machines.  The  reason 
was  because  the  point  of 
contact  was  the  custom- 
er's business." 

Under  "Miscellaneous 
Methods"  in  the  chart 
are  suggestions  for  plans 
that  will  yield  names 
of  unusually  high  order. 
Firms  that  sell  to  the 
same  class  of  people 
as  you  sell  to  are  gen- 
erally willing  to  exchange 
lists  of  prospects  and  cus- 


I    33    1 


'A    bank  obtains    from    its    depos- 
itors names  and  addresses  of 
their  employes ' ' 


GETTING  OTHERS  TO  CO-OPERATE 


tomers.  Sometimes  exchanges  can  best  be  made 
with  head  offices  of  firms;  in  other  cases  by 
having  your  representatives  approach  the  local 
representatives  of  the  firms.  Manufacturers  of 
office  machines  and  specialties  find  it  very  profit- 
able to  exchange  lists  among  themselves,  as  a 
firm  that  has  bought  one  kind  of  modern  equip- 
ment is  generally  in  line  for  others.  Similarly, 
concerns  in  unrelated  lines  can  profitably  work 
together.  A  malted-milk  firm  and  a  soda-fountain 
drink  firm  not  only  exchange  names  of  dealers 
but  tip  each  other  off  from  time  to  time  of  the 
opening  up  of  new  stores.  A  men's  clothing 
manufacturer  works  with  a  men's  shirt  concern,  a 
hat  manufacturer  with  a  men's  furnishing  manu- 
facturer, and  so  on. 

A  bank  in  Chicago  systematically  approaches 
those  of  its  depositors  who  are  large  employers 
of  labor,  and  obtains  the  names  and  addresses  of 
their  employes  with  the  idea  of  inducing  them 
to  open  savings  accounts. 

A  manufacturer  of  workmen's  overalls  uses 
the  same  method.  He  first  used  the  plan  in  his 
home  town  and  obtained  such  excellent  results 
that  he  now  uses  it  all  over  the  country.  To 
each  dealer  handling  his  line  he  explains  the  plan 
and  suggests  that  they  obtain  names  of  employes 
of  plants  in  their  locality,  and  send  them  to  the 
manufacturer.  Advertising  matter  and  a  letter 
stating  that  the  overalls  can  be  purchased  at 
such-and-such  a  store  is  sent  to  all  names  sup- 


26 


TIPS  ON  BUYING  NAMES 


plied  by  dealers.  Excellent  results  are  obtained. 
Dealers  willingly  co-operate,  as  they  realize  the 
importance  of  getting  a  new  customer  into  the 
store  and  know  that  an  overall  sale  will  generally 
lead  to  other  sales  and  oftentimes  valuable 
regular  patronage. 

From  addressing  companies  can  be  pur- 
chased valuable  lists  of  names  of  all  kinds.  Price 
averages  one  cent  a  name.  The  better  class  of 
addressing  company  guarantees  its  lists  to  be 
from  95',  to  98'/  accurate,  depending  on  the 
nature  of  the  list,  and  refunds  at  the  rate  of  two 
cents  a  name  for  all  "dead  letters."  Addressing 
companies  often  have  on  record,  or  can  easily  ob- 
tain, lists  of  names  that  a  concern  itself  could 
gather  only  by  months  of  effort  and  considerable 
expense.  Before  going  to  any  considerable 
trouble  in  compiling  lists  it  is  advisable  first  to 
see  what  addressing  companies  have  to  offer. 

Your  salesmen  are  a  splendid  source  of  live 
names,  as  they  are  daily  learning  of  new  pros- 
pects. The  best  method  for  cashing  in  on  the 
work  of  your  salesmen  is  to  operate  a  system  of 
salesmen's  reports  whereby  each  salesman  re- 
ports to  head  office  the  names  of  concerns  he  has 
called  upon  each  day,  together  with  the  chances 
of  selling  them. 

The  practice  of  using  investigators  to  obtain 
names,  is  increasing  in  use.  Here  is  a  typical 
way  in  which  the  plan  is  operated:  A  manufac- 
turer of  an  office  device  found  that  in  selling  to 


HOW  TO  USE  INVESTIGATORS 


large  firms  it  was  necessary  first  to  convince  the 
office  manager  of  the  merit  of  the  proposition 
before  talking  to  the  purchasing  agent.  Names 
of  office  managers  cannot  be  found  in  directories 
and  trade  lists,  like  other  classification  of  names, 
and  so  this  manufacturer  hired  a  bright  young 
woman  to  compile  a  list  of  office  managers.  Her 
method  is  to  go  to  the  information  desk  in  large 
offices  and  ask  for  the  name  of  the  office  mana- 
ger. The  desired  information  is  usually  obtained 
at  once.  An  alternative  of  this  plan  is  to  obtain 
the  names  by  telephone. 

Similarly,  a  concern  selling  children's  ap- 
parel employs  investigators  to  visit  homes 
and  find  out  the  number,  sex,  and  ages  of  chil- 
dren. Sometimes  this  information  can  be  obtained 
from  the  maid  who  answers  the  door;  in  others, 
from  the  head  of  the  house.  Where  these  methods 
fail,  recourse  can  be  had  to  neighborhood  stores, 

or  in  the  case  of  apartment 
buildings,  from  the  janitor. 
An  addressing  com- 
pany uses  school  children 
for  list  compiling.  Dur- 
ing the  vacation  months 
the  company  writes  to 
bankers  in  towns  asking 
them  to  recommend  hon- 
est boys  and  girls.  These 
children   visit   homes   and 


.  \    hriulit    fOmtt    >»'"'"""    It    fin- 
pluyt  </  In  ObtOhl  til'    tuimrs  f>( 
ti/fici-  miitiuw'  * 


GETTING  NAMES  FROM  CUSTOMERS 

find  out  such  information  as  whether  or  not  the 
residents  own  pianos,  organs,  and  musical  instru- 
ments in  general;  names  of  card  players; 
members  of  brass  bands;  invalids;  make  of  stove 
used,  etc.  One  cent  a  piece  is  paid  for  names 
accompanied  by  the  desired  data. 

Mail  carriers — city  as  well  as  R.  F.  D. — are 
a  fruitful  source  of  names.  They  should,  how- 
ever, be  approached  on  the  subject  while  off  duty. 
R.  F.  D.  route  lists  particularly  are  of  value,  and 
it  is  comparatively  easy  to  obtain  them.  This 
method  is  particularly  effective  because  it  is 
possible  not  only  to  obtain  the  farmer's  exact 
name,  but  also  the  name  of  his  wife,  how  many 
children  he  has,  whether  they  are  grown,  at 
home,  or  going  to  school.  A  mail-carrier  com- 
piling a  list  in  this  way  is  also  able  to  give  defi- 
nite information  as  to  whether  the  farmer  is  a 
renter  or  owner;  how  many  acres  he  farms  or 
owns,  general  prosperity,  and  the  like. 

Your  customers,  if  properly  approached,  can 
be  induced  to  supply  you  with  many  live  names. 
Many  firms  systematically  circularize  their  en- 
tire customer  lists,  asking  for  names  and  addresses 
of  persons  who  might  be  interested  in  their 
goods.  The  success  of  this  plan  depends  largely 
on  the  way  in  which  you  have  cultivated  the 
friendship  of  your  customers  and  also  upon  the 
nature  of  your  business  and  their  business. 
Merely  writing  a  letter  to  customers  and  asking 
for  names,  will  not  suffice,  however.     You  must 

[   29    1 


METHODS  OFF  THE  BEATEN  PATH 

not  put  your  customer  to  any  trouble  in  acceding 
to  your  request.  You  must  make  it  extremely 
easy  for  him  to  reply — so  easy,  in  fact,  that  he 
cannot  well  refuse.  A  plan  that  experience  has 
shown  to  produce  splendid  results  is  to  enclose 
with  your  letter  asking  for  names,  a  printed  form 
with  blank  lines  for  the  customer  to  fill  in  with 
names  and  addresses,  and  also  a  stamped  return- 
addressed  envelope.  In  some  cases  a  stamped 
return-addressed  post-card  can  be  used  in  place 
of  a  form  and  envelope.  It  all  depends  upon  the 
class  of  people  you  are  circularizing;  if  a  high 
class,  you  should  unhesitatingly  use  the  form  and 
two-cent  stamped,  return-addressed  envelope. 

Delivery  men  of  stores  are  in  close  touch 
with  trade  conditions  in  their  districts  and  can 
be  used  as  a  source  of  names.  Manufacturers 
distributing  through  dealers  find  it  resultful  to 
suggest  this  method  to  their  dealers.  One  retailer 
requests  each  of  his  delivery  men  to  supply  at 
least  ten  new  names  of  prospective  customers 
each  week.  Another  store  pays  its  delivery  men 
a  bonus  for  all  live  names  in  excess  of  twelve 
reported  each  week. 

In  small  towns  bank  cashiers,  justices  of  the 
peace,  and  newspaper  editors  can  be  drawn  upon 
for  names  difficult  to  obtain  in  ordinary  ways. 
A  check  for  one  or  two  dollars  sent  to  any  of 
these  individuals,  together  with  specific  instruc- 
tions as  to  the  kind  of  names  required,  will 
usually  produce  the  desired  information.     Names 

f  ™  1 


GETTING   NAMES   FROM    DEALERS 

obtained  in  this  way  can  be  verified  by  sending 

them   to  the   local   postmaster  with   the  request 

that  he  cross  out  "dead"  names.     The  post-office 

regulations   in   this   connection   read: 

"Postmasters  must  not  furnish  lists  of  names  of 
persons  receiving  mail  at  their  office  .  .  .  Lists  of 
names  sent  to  postmasters  for  revision  must  be  returned 
to  the  sender  when  postage  is  provided  for  that  purpose, 
but  no  new  names  must  be  added  to  the  lists.  Post- 
masters may,  if  they  desire,  however,  cross  off  the 
names  of  those  who  have  moved  away  or  are  deceased." 

Dealers  who  handle  your  goods  are  a  fruitful 
source  of  live  names.  While  you  should  never 
leave  it  to  the  dealer  to  follow-up  your  prospects 
or  customers,  you  can  use  him  to  advantage  to 
compile  valuable  lists  for  you.  His  permanent 
customer-list  is  of  great  value  to  you.  Get  him 
to  send  you  a  copy,  and  add  it  to  your  own  pros- 
pect list.  Or,  if  he  will  not  part  with  the  list,  you 
can  get  around  this  difficulty  by  sending  him 
your  printed  matter  in  sealed,  stamped,  unad- 
dressed  envelopes.  Then  he  can  address  the  mail 
right  in  his  own  office  without  disclosing  the 
names  on  the  list.  Proof  of  mailing  can  be  ob- 
tained by  post-office  receipts. 

These  methods  cover  the  main  sources  from 
which  live  names,  suitable  for  any  class  of  busi- 
ness, are  obtained.  They  are  based  upon  the 
actual  experiences  of  firms  that  have  followed 
them  to  their  great  profit.  To  any  concern  willing 
to  use  ordinary  care  they  bring  the  opportunity 
to  build  up  a  large  list  of  valuable  names  that 
speedily  show  their  worth  by  increased  profits. 

[    31    1 


CHAPTER  IV 

Points  to  Watch  in  Com- 
piling Lists 

TO  A  YOUNG  office  manager  came  th« 
opportunity  to  purchase  the  patent  rights 
of  a  household  specialty.  Investigation 
showed  a  ripe  field  for  the  article,  and  accord- 
ingly he  roped  and  branded  his  opportunity. 

This  young  man  had  been  in  the  employ  of 
a  concern  that  had  piled  up  a  substantial  surplus 
by  selling  household  specialties  by  mail.  Daily 
had  he  seen  the  modern  miracle  performed  of 
sending  out  printed  matter  and  reaping  a  harvest 
of  dollars  in  return.  If  his  concern  could  do  this, 
why  couldn't  he? 

And  so  he  started  to  duplicate  their  methods. 
A  line  of  attractive  advertising  matter  was  pre- 
pared. Lists  of  names  were  compiled.  The 
stage  was  set  for  a  big  success.  Stacks  of  mail 
matter  were  daily  sent  all  over  the  country. 
Hopes  ran  high. 

But  for  some  reason  or  other  the  dollar- 
magnet  failed  to  work.  According  to  this  young 
man's  experience  each  morning  should  have 
found  a  mail-carrier  struggling  under  a  load  of 
mail  which,  when  opened,  yielded  orders,  checks 

I    82    I 


KILLING  OFF  A   HOODOO 


and  currency.  But  now  the  law  of  opposites 
seemed  to  hold  sway.  Each  mail  now  brought 
only  a  handful  of  letters  most  of  which  bore  one 
of  Uncle  Sam's  rubber  stamps,  reading,  "Ad- 
dress not  known,"  "Moved  away,"  "Deceased.'' 

Obviously,  something  was  wrong.  The 
young  man  called  in  a  friend  who  directed  the 
advertising  of  a  successful  concern  and  asked 
him  to  locate  the  trouble.  After  quizzing  the 
owner  of  the  firm,  his  employes,  and  scrutinizing 
records  for  an  hour  or  so,  the  advertising  man 
announced:  "Your  proposition  is  all  right  and 
can  be  made  to  produce  sound  business.  The 
trouble  is  all  with  your  list  of  names.  First,  they 
are  not  of  the  right  type ;  second,  they  were 
compiled  in  too  much  of  a  hurry.  Then,  to  back 
up  his  statement,  he  offered  to  direct  the  com- 
pilation of  a  new  list  and  its  circularization.  His 
offer  was  gladly  accepted.  Within  a  month  the 
business  found  itself.  Each  issue  of  circulars 
brought  back  orders.  "Dead"  letters  were  few 
and  far  between.  A  business  headed  for  the 
commercial  scrap-heap  was  turned  to  the  up- 
grade that  leads  to  profits.  And  this  seeming 
marvel  was  accomplished  simply  by  knowing  how 
to  compile  and  handle  lists  of  names. 

Many  a  concern  is  blighting  its  opportunities 
and  killing  its  profits  by  mishandling  lists  of 
names.  A  large  retail  store  in  Philadelphia 
regularly  circularized  a  list  of  200.000  names 
consisting  of  customers  and  prospects.     Results 


[  33  ] 


WHY  SOME  LISTS  DO  NOT  PULL 


failed  to  come  up  to  expectations.  Each  circulari- 
zation  of  the  list  produced  less  tangible  results 
than  the  preceding  circularization.  Then  an  ex- 
pert list  compiler  was  called  in.  He  quickly  found 
the  trouble.  It  took  the  form  of  65'  j  inaccuracies 
in  the  lists — customers  filed  under  prospects,  and 
vice  versa;  wrong  spelling  in  names  and  ad- 
dresses ;  names  of  persons  of  a  class  that  experi- 
ence showed  did  not  patronize  the  store;  and 
hundreds  of  "dead  names,"  consisting  of  persons 
who  had  died  or  moved  out  of  the  city.  Careful 
revision  of  the  list  resulted  in  succeeding  cir- 
cularization showing  an  increase  of  31  per  cent, 
actual  increase  in  orders. 

Instances  of  this  nature  can  be  related  al- 
most without  end.  The  point  is  here:  If  it  is 
worth  while  to  go  to  the  expense  of  compiling 
and  circularizing  lists — and  of  this  there  is  no 
doubt — surely  it  is  worth  while  to  do  the  job 

thoroughly — to    devote    a  

little  more  time  to  the 
work  and  insure  that  the 
lists  are  at  least  ninety- 
five  per  cent  accurate. 
Careful  investigation  of 
the  lists  of  hundreds  of 
concerns — large  as  well 
as  small — shows  that  the 
majority  are  woefully 
inaccurate.  The  inac- 
curacies   result    primarily 


.?• 


V. 


<V' 


r 


[   34   ] 


'Each  morninu  should  have  found  a 

ititiil-ciirrimr  striitwliiw  urnler 

a  load  of  orders" 


THE   FIVE  ESSENTIALS   TO   OBSERVE 

from  failure  to  observe  the  five  rules  that  govern 
the  compilation  of  productive  lists,   namely: 

RULE  1:  VIEWPOINT.  As  explained  in 
a  preceding  chapter,  the  list  compiler  needs  to 
take  the  attitude  of  a  salesman.  Just  as  a  sales- 
man does  not  try  to  sell  his  goods  to  everyone, 
but  makes  reasonably  sure  that  a  man  is  of  a 
class  that  can  buy  his  goods,  before  he  calls  on 
him,  so  should  a  list  compiler  make  reasonably 
sure  that  a  man  represents  a  live  prospect  before 
he  places  his  name  on  a  list.  The  best  way  to 
determine  this  is  to  classify  past  sales  into  types 
of  individual  and  lines  of  trade,  and  to  list  only 
those  names  that  come  under  these  headings. 

RULE  2:  TRADE  ZONE.  Many  businesses 
find  it  impracticable  to  attempt  to  win  trade  out- 
side of  certain  zones  or  districts.  For  example,  a 
manufacturer  of  stoves  has  little  if  any  market 
for  his  product  in  California ;  a  mail-order 
millinery  concern  has  found  that  its  most  profit- 
able market  is  in  certain  southern  states;  a 
retail  store  has  found  that  delivery  charges  and 
competition  make  it  inadvisable  to  go  beyond  a 
certain  radius  of  its  store  in  soliciting  new 
business.  Before  new  names  are  placed  on  a 
mailing  list  they  should  be  carefully  investigated 
to  see  if  they  come  in  the  firm's  trade  zone. 

Others  find  that  it  is  more  profitable  for 
them  to  concentrate  their  circularizing  efforts  in 
just  those  cities  and  towns  where  they  have 
effective   distribution   or   representation   for   the 

[  35  ] 


KNOWING  VERSUS  GUESSING 

reason  that  the  product  or  service  offered  is  of 
such  a  nature  that  it  cannot  be  sold  by  mail  but 
must  be  through  personal  solicitation.  Many 
neglect  to  make  such  an  analysis  of  selling  meth- 
ods and  so  are  spending  25  ,  of  their  advertis- 
ing appropriation  to  make  from  3',  to  5','  of 
their  sales. 

Some  concerns  find  that  they  cannot  make 
sales  in  towns  of  less  than  10,000  inhabitants 
and  so  in  preparing  their  mailing  lists  eliminate 
names  in  all  smaller  towns.  An  office  specialty 
manufacturer  recently  made  a  complete  analysis 
of  his  sales  and  advertising  expenditures  and 
found  that  85' ;  of  his  orders  came  from  towns 
of  over  10,000  inhabitants,  yet  nearly  30';  of 
his  appropriation  was  being  spent  in  direct  ad- 
vertising in  towns  of  less  than  10,000  inhabitants. 
This  manufacturer  immediately  eliminated  all 
lists  of  names  in  towns  of  less  than  10,000  in- 
habitants and  that  portion  of  the  appropriation 
that  had  been  invested  in  circularizing  in  the 
smaller  cities  and  towns  was  invested  in  special 
circularizing  in  the  larger  cities  where  he  had 
excellent  representation  to  co-operate  with  his 
advertising  efforts. 

Too  many  dash  blindly  into  direct  advertis- 
ing without  first  carefully  mapping  out  a  course 
and  thoroughly  analyzing  the  market.  Some  do 
not  know  the  most  productive  fields  for  their 
product  and  in  addition  to  wasting  money  by 
circularizing  small  towns  and  cities  where  they 

[  36  ] 


HOW  TO  ANALYZE  YOUR  FIELD 


have  no  representation,  or  where  there  is  no 
market  for  their  products,  they  spend  thousands 
and  thousands  of  dollars  in  reaching  lines  of 
business  or  classes  of  people  that  cannot  be  con- 
sidered buyers.  For  instance,  one  manufacturer 
recently  found  that  he  had  been  circularizing 
approximately  250  lines  of  business,  whereas  90% 
of  his  sales  were  made  to  75  lines  of  business. 

Direct  advertising  is  the  most  powerful  form 
of  business  building  if  the  plan  is  based  on  a 
careful  analysis  of  distribution,  possible  markets 
and  past  records.  This  form  of  advertising  is 
definite.  It  is  a  tangible  quantity,  for  the  adver- 
tiser knows  just  those  people  he  is  spending 
money  to  reach.  He  is  not  taking  a  chance.  It 
is  vastly  different  than  buying  white  space  on  the 
taken-for-granted  basis  that  a  reasonable  per- 
centage of  the  "hundred  thousand  circulation" 
are  possible  buyers.  In 
many  instances  the  ad- 
vertiser pays  for  reach- 
ing several  hundred 
thousand  people,  1%  to 
2%  of  which  actually 
can  possibly  use  or  pay 
for  his  service  or  product. 
Direct  advertising  is 
not  so  simple  as  press  ad- 
vertising, for  it  requires 
hard  work,  study,  thought 
and  strategy,  but  if  built 


'Names   should  be   thoroughly 

verified  before  they  are  placed 

on  a  mailing  list" 


[   37   ] 


THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  TRY  OUTS 

on  the  "think  first"  basis  it  brings  back  generous 
profits  just  as  sure  and  just  as  regularly  as  the 
banks  pay  interest  on  deposits. 

RULE  3:  VERIFICATION.  Before  a  name 
is  placed  on  a  list,  no  matter  from  what  source  it 
is  obtained,  it  should  be  checked  with  other 
sources.  For  example,  names  taken  from 
telephone  directories  should  be  checked  with  city 
directories,  blue  books,  tax  lists,  trade  directories, 
etc.  These  sources  are  suggestive  only,  as  meth- 
ods for  checking  naturally  depend  upon  the  class 
of  names  dealt  with.  Names  should  be  verified 
in  three  ways:  first,  for  accuracy  as  to  type  or 
line-of-business  classification,  as  explained  under 
"Viewpoint;"  second,  for  trade  zone;  explained 
under  this  heading;  third,  for  spelling  of  name 
and  accuracy  of  address. 

RULE  4:  TRY-OUT.  Time  and  time  again 
experience  has  shown  that  even  the  most  exper- 
ienced advertising  man  cannot  accurately  fore- 
cast whether  or  not  a  list  will  pull.  Oftentimes 
the  most  promising  list  fails  miserably,  while  a 
seemingly  impossible  list  produces  big  business. 
Before  any  considerable  number  of  names  are 
added  to  a  mailing  list,  a  try-out  should  be  made. 
This  is  done  by  selecting,  say,  one  thousand 
names  at  random  from  the  new-name  source  and 
sending  the  regular  run  of  circular  matter  to 
them.  Results  from  this  try-out  are  basic.  The 
same  percentage  of  orders  that  results  from  1,000 

I   88  1 


CARE  IS  THE  MAIN  ESSENTIAL 

names  will  also  result  from  any  multiple  of  1,000, 
provided  the  names  are  obtained  from  the  same 
source  and  come  under  the  same  classification. 

RULE  5:  REVISION.  Because  a  list  of 
names  is  accurate  today  is  no  sign  that  it  will 
be  accurate  a  few  months  hence.  Businesses  and 
individuals  change  so  frequently  that  constant 
revision  of  lists  is  imperative.  Methods  for  keep- 
ing lists  up  to  date  are  fully  explained  in 
Chapter  V. 

To  compile  and  maintain  accurate  lists  is  a 
comparatively  simple  matter.  There  is  only  one 
basic  essential,  and  that  is  that  you  be  willing  to 
have  one  of  your  employes  handle  them  as  care- 
fully as  you  insist  that  your  bookkeeper  handle 
your  accounts.  Do  this  and  it  is  a  simple  matter 
to  compile  and  keep  up  to  date  a  list  of  any  size, 
from  a  few  hundred  to  hundreds  of  thousands, 
classified  in  any  way  you  wish. 


[  39  ] 


CHAPTER  V 

How  to  Keep  Lists  Up 
to  Date 

IT  IS  not  sufficient  merely  to  compile  a  list  of 
names  and  to  let  it  go  at  that.  Eternal 
vigilance  needs  to  be  exercised.  Lists  of 
names  are  constantly  changing.  A  man  who  is 
the  livest  kind  of  prospect  today  may,  for  any 
one  of  a  dozen  reasons,  become  an  "impossible" 
prospect  in  a  few  weeks  or  months.  An  average 
list  of  retailers  will  undergo  a  fifteen  per  cent 
change  in  a  year,  manufacturers  and  wholesalers 
ten  per  cent,  and  transient  occupations,  such  as 
barbering,  as  high  as  sixty  per  cent.  To  avoid 
waste  through  such  changes,  lists  of  names  must 
be  corrected  frequently  and  be  made  to  parallel 
the  movements  of  the  persons  they  represent. 

Co-operation  between  the  various  depart- 
ments of  a  business  and  the  advertising  depart- 
ment will  save  much  useless  circularizing  of 
names.  A  manufacturing  company  in  the  east 
operates  a  system  whereby  the  sales  department 
and  the  credit  department  daily  advise  the  ad- 
vertising department  of  sales  made  to  prospects, 
and  concerns  that  have  failed,  so  that  their  names 
can  be  removed  from  lists.     This  close  co-opera- 

I    io  1 


SIMPLE  METHODS  OF  LIST-CHECKING 

tion  saves  a  large  amount  of  printed  matter, 
labor  and  postage  in  following  up  persons  who 
are  no  longer  prospects. 

A  cross-check  on  this  system  is  also  operated 
by  periodically  submitting  the  entire  follow-up 
list  to  various  departments  for  them  to  check 
over  carefully  and  cross  off  any  undesirable 
names  that  have  escaped  previous  notice. 

One  of  the  big  Chicago  wholesale  houses, 
in  addition  to  keeping  its  list  corrected  daily 
from  returned  letters,  letters  from  customers  and 
reports  of  salesmen,  has  an  effective  system  for 
revising  all  its  lists  every  six  months. 

On  January  1  and  July  1  the  names  are  first 
listed  on  the  Addressograph  in  the  order  in  which 
they  appear  in  the  card  indexes.  The  latest  issue 
of  a  rating  book  is  secured.  This  is  cut  up  and 
rebound  into  forty  or  forty-five  books,  each  repre- 
senting one  or  two  states.  They  are  then  dis- 
tributed among  as  many  girls  as  there  are  books, 
who  compare  the  names  and  addresses  with  those 
on  the  Addressograph  lists.  In  this  way  the 
work  is  finished  in  a  few  days. 

Names  of  new  firms  with  a  satisfactory  rat- 
ing are  written  in  their  proper  geographical  and 
alphabetical  position.  After  the  list  has  been 
checked  thus  far  it  is  turned  over  to  an  address- 
ing company  to  check  for  correct  addresses  from 
the  later  city  directories.  So  exhaustive  an  over- 
hauling as  this  is  not  necessary  in  some 
businesses,  but  that  can  only  be  determined  by 

[  41  ] 


HOW  TO  AVOID  DUPLICATION 

you  and  the  class  of  persons  and  firms  you  are 
addressing. 

The  manager  of  the  department  has  pre- 
viously blue-penciled  towns  where  the  firm  has 
an  exclusive  account,  and  the  girls  in  seeking 
new  names  skip  these  towns.  If  a  name  on  the 
Addressograph  list  is  not  reported  in  the  rating 
books,  the  card-index  plates  are  put  in  special 
drawers  and  are  sent  to  the  credit  department, 
which  determines  whether  the  name  shall  remain 
in  the  file.  The  new  names  which  the  girls  select 
are  listed  on  cards,  and,  if  O.  K'd  by  the  credit 


Form  I  (front):  A  page  f  mm  a  nuinulmturer's  hook  which  fucill- 

tutes  the  milking  "f  clumges  in  MNMI  tiriil  mlilresse.\  of  iiiyfctn- 

itj.     Form  III  (buck):  Report  sheets  supplied  to  salesmen. 

I    tf    1 


METHODS  OF  CROSS-CHECKING 

department,  are  at  once  made  up  into  Address- 
ograph  plates. 

This  house  is  daily  making  new  customers. 
Daily  slips  from  the  bookkeeping  department 
show  these.  If  the  new  customer's  name  is  in 
the  prospect's  file,  it  is  taken  out  and  slipped  into 
its  proper  geographical  position  in  the  customer's 
file.  If  the  new  customer  has  no  plate  in  the  pros- 
pect's file,  a  new  one  is  immediately  made. 

A  New  York  manufacturing  company  sup- 
plements this  wholesaler's  system  with  a  circular- 
letter  inquiry  sent  to  bank  cashiers  over  their 
entire  list  of  names.  In  their  letter  they  ask  if 
such-and-such  a  person  is  still  in  business 
(names  are  typewritten  at  the  foot  of  the  form- 
letter),  if  he  has  moved  away,  if  so  where,  and  if 
there  are  any  new  retailers  in  town  handling  their 
line.  These  letters  bring  information  that  is 
extremely  valuable  to  this  firm. 

Certain  businesses  find  it  necessary  to  main- 
tain separate  lists  for  each  department.  Often  a 
name  will  appear  on  several  lists,  and  occa- 
sionally in  all  lists.  Corrections  under  these 
conditions  are  more  difficult  to  make.  An  Indi- 
anapolis manufacturer,  with  three  lists,  makes 
his  corrections  easy  with  a  loose-leaf  book  record 
of  all  names  on  his  list.  This  book  (Form  I)  is 
indexed  by  towns  and  customers.  In  three 
columns  opposite  each  name,  crosses  indicate 
in  which  list  each  name  will  be  found.  By  refer- 
ring to  this  loose-leaf  book,  which  is  arranged  in 

[  43  ] 


CORRECTING  LISTS  AUTOMATICALLY 

the  same  order  as  the  Addressograph  card-index, 
the  corrections  and  additions  are  easily  made. 

A  bank  in  Chicago  prints  at  the  top  of  each 
monthly  statement  sent  to  depositors:  "Is  this 
your  correct  address?"  (Form  II).  This  serves 
as  a  constant  reminder  to  patrons  to  advise  the 
bank  of  any  change  in  their  address.  Another 
bank  prints  a  change-of-address  form  on  its 
monthly  statements  sheets.  This  form  is  perfo- 
rated so  that  it  may  easily  be  detached  from  the 
rest  of  the  sheet.  Twice  a  year,  at  the  usual 
moving  time,  the  customer's  name  and  address 
are  printed  on  this  slip  with  the  Addressograph, 
and  space  left  where  he  may  note  any  correction 
or  change.  The  card  is  provided  with  a  stamp, 
so  that  all  the  recipient  need  do  is  mail  it. 

An  insurance  company  in  Boston  uses  a 
similar  notation  in  issuing  assessments  to  policy 
holders.  These  methods  keep  lists  very  near 
accurate  all  the  time. 

In  the  advertising  department  of  a  Pittsburgh 
firm,  18,000  names  of  customers  appear  in  any 
one  or  all  of  fourteen  classifications.  To  eliminate 
duplication  of  card-index  plates  and  to  save  time 
in  locating  names,  all  classifications  are  mixed 
together  in  one  list.  The  various  classifications 
are  indicated  by  placing  metal  tabs  in  different 
positions  on  the  tops  of  the  card-index  address 
plates.  The  Addressograph  automatically  selects 
and  addresses  any  one  or  more  classifications 
desired  and  skips  others. 

[  44  ] 


WIDENING  YOUR  FIELD 


A  manufacturer  of  office  specialties  who  had 

always  depended  on  direct  advertising  to  promote 

the  sale  of  his  product  found  recently  that  the 

results    from    this    form    of    publicity    were    not 

nearly  so  good  as  they  had  been  in  past  years. 

He  could  not  determine  the  reason.    His  circulars 

and  literature  were  far  better  than  they  had  been 

and  in  tests  produced  better  results  than  his  old 

literature.    His  mailing  list  was  up  to  date,  for  it 

had  been  religiously  checked  with  a  rating  book 

every    three    or    four    months.      An    addressing 

company    had    been    employed    with    the    same 

frequency  to  make  corrections  of  street  addresses. 

His   list   was    in    excellent    condition    as   far   as 

accuracy     was    concerned.       He    discussed    his 

problem    with    various    advertising    experts    but 

without  finding  a  solution.    A  young  man  in  his 

mailing  department  suggested  to  him  that  his 

lists   were   not  broad   enough;   that   is,   did   not 

cover  enough  field — for  they  were  built  on  one 

source  only,  a  rating  book — whereas  there  were 

thousands   and   thousands   of   prospects   for   his 

product  which  were  not  included  in  rating  books. 

This  fact  was  proved  by  an  analysis  of  past  sales. 

He  had  sold  a  fair  percentage  of  the  prospects  in 

the  narrow  fields  he  was  reaching  through  his 

direct  advertising  and  so  naturally  results  were 

falling  off  though  his  failure  to  open  up  new  fields. 

He  had  always  felt  that  the  rating  book  was  the 

source  for  names  of  his  prospects  because  his 

product  was  sold  to  large  concerns.     It  did  not 

[  45  ] 


WHAT    A    SALES-ANALYSIS    SHOWED 


■  TMIt  YOUR  CORRECT  ADDRISST         N.     B.    Hall.  *\ 

392  E.    Chicago  A»o . 


ACC4MWT    UO     All    CMCIUII 


ID  ro»  Tm  »io»mrt  MOKAffO  WW    ■"     wwrw 

COMMCT     TO    6irt    •OT.Cf    MO    Ul    ML    MClAMATlOffl 


.'  ..;.. 


^~ 


Form  II:   Monthly  statement  used  by  a  bonk  to  insure  accurate 

addresses.     This  serves  as  a  constant  reminder  to  patrons 

to  advise  the  bank  of  any  changes  in  their  addresses 


occur  to  him  that  there  are  thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  powerful  concerns  in  the  country  that 
are  not  listed  in  rating  books,  all  of  which  are 
prospects  for    his  product. 

He  employed  a  mailing-list  expert  to  compile 
new  lists.  This  man  requested  an  analysis  of 
sales  and  after  finding  that  the  bulk  of  the 
business  was  in  cities  of  over  10,000  he  made  up 
a  list  of  such  cities  and  had  the  record  and  book- 
keeping departments  report  to  him  the  number 
and  amount  of  sales  in  each  line  of  business  in 
each  town.  He  then  obtained  telephone  books 
and  city  directories  for  every  one  of  these  cities 
and  made  a  complete  outline  showing  the  number 
of  possible  prospects  in  each  line  in  each  town. 
He  compared  this  with  the  sales  made  and  later 

[    4fi   ] 


MAKING  LISTS  YIELD   MORE 

with  the  old  mailing  list  and  in  many  instances 
found  that  sales  in  lines  not  on  mailing  list  were 
far  in  excess  to  sales  in  lines  that  were  included 
in  list.  This  can  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
the  product  was  sold  through  representatives. 

This  compiler  of  lists  then  set  to  work.  He 
started  on  the  larger  cities  where  distribution 
or  representation  was  most  efficient.  He  referred 
to  every  possible  source  for  names  in  compiling 
the  list.  For  instance,  in  New  York  City  he  used 
Trow's  Directory  of  Corporations,  the  list  of 
members  of  the  Merchants'  Association,  of  the 
Adertising  Clubs,  of  the  Sales  Managers'  Club 
and  City  Directory  and  Telephone  Book,  the 
Dun  Book,  and,  most  important  of  all,  a  file  of 
salesmens'  reports  that  had  been  accumulating 
for  many  years,  but  which  were  never  used  in 
compiling  or  revising  the  mailing  list. 

It  took  this  expert  just  four  months  to  get 
a  list  of  10,000  names  in  New  York  City,  but  it 
was  the  best  list  of  prospects  the  manufacturer 
possibly  could  obtain.  In  a  greater  percentage  of 
the  cases  the  name  of  an  official  of  the  company 
was  included.  The  purpose  for  this  was  to  get 
the  circular  matter  through  the  hands  of  the 
mail  clerks  who  are  inclined  to  destroy  circular 
matter  that  is  merely  addressed  to  the  company. 

The  test  campaign  was  directed  to  the  new 
list  and  it  was  found  that  the  results  were  ten 
times  better  than  they  had  ever  been  before  from 
a  list  of  names  in  that  city. 

[  47  ] 


USING  SALESMEN  TO  CHECK  LISTS 

The  experience  of  this  manufacturer  only 
proves  the  importance  of  many  sources  for  lists 
of  names — one  source  checks  the  other,  and, 
above  all,  it  insures  a  wide  field  for  the  advertis- 
ing effort. 

Firms  that  operate  a  force  of  salesmen  can 
use  them  to  great  advantage  in  keeping  their  lists 
up  to  date.  One  firm  periodically  sends  to  each 
of  its  salesmen  a  complete  list  of  customers  by 
towns,  in  his  territory.  These  names  are  listed 
automatically  from  the  house  records  by  the 
Addressograph  on  "Salesmen's  Report  Sheets," 
(Form  III).  The  Salesmen's  Report  Sheets  are 
used  by  the  house  in  three  ways:  first  to  supply 
salesmen  with  a  complete  list  of  persons  to  be 
called  upon,  thus  obviating  the  possibility  of 
their  overlooking  anyone;  second  to  keep  close 
tab  on  the  work  of  each  salesman,  third,  to  supply 
information  on  the  movements  of  customers  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  lists  up  to  date. 

While  correcting  is  simple  if  attended  to 
daily  your  business  may  not  be  so  large  but  that 
you  can  make  your  regular  corrections  at  the 
of  each  month  as  is  done  by  an  Omaha  Manu- 
facturer. 

This  man  makes  his  corrections  about  every 
three  or  four  weeks.  After  the  corrections  are 
made  proofs  of  the  lists  are  taken  by  states,  by 
means  of  the  automatic  listing  attachment,  a 
special  device  used  with  the  Addressograph. 
These  proofs  are  hung  on  a  hook  on  the  advertis- 

[   48  ] 


A  FLEXIBLE  LIST-HANDLING  SYSTEM 

ing  manager's  desk.  As  the  changes  come  to  his 
desk,  he  marks  them  on  the  proof.  Just  before 
the  monthly  mailing,  these  corrections  are  made, 
and  the  circulars  go  out  without  a  mistake. 

Correct  your  lists  frequently.  Twice  a  year, 
at  least,  have  them  thoroughly  revised.  These 
are  the  two  rules  for  keeping  lists.  It  is  easy  to 
live  up  to  them  with  the  Addressograph.  The 
card-index  arrangement  of  the  address  plates 
enables  you  instantly  to  lay  your  hands  on  any 
desired  name.  A  single  motion  takes  out  or  puts 
in  a  plate.  Your  list  can  grow  or  shrink.  The 
operation  of  the  card-index  Addressograph  re- 
mains the  same.  The  card-index  file  revolu- 
tionized office  routine.  The  card-index  Address- 
ograph has  revolutionized  the  keeping  and  using 
of  mailing  lists. 


[  49  ] 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Handling  Lists 
Automatically 

THE  most  efficient  way  of  keeping  lists  is 
the  card-index  method,  by  which  each 
name  and  address  is  recorded  on  a  sep- 
arate card.  The  card-index  system  has  greater 
flexibility  than  any  other  method  in  existence. 
Any  name  is  instantly  accessible,  no  matter  how 
large  or  highly  cross-indexed  the  list.  Names  can 
be  classified  in  any  one  of  a  dozen  or  more  ways — 
alphabetically,  by  states,  by  territories,  by  lines 
of  business,  by  rating  or  buying  power,  and  so 
on,  ad  infinitum,  according  to  the  needs  of  the 
business.  And  any  or  all  of  these  classifications 
can  be  made  with  but  one  list  of  names  by  means 
of  signal  tabs  attached  to  the  tops  of  the  cards. 
With  the  card-index  system  it  is  a  simple 
matter  to  add  to,  to  cut  down,  or  change  your 
list  of  names  at  will.  Each  name  and  address  is 
entirely  distinct  from  the  others — it  can  be 
handled  without  in  any  way  affecting  the  other 
names.  Any  name  can  be  located  in  a  few 
seconds,  no  matter  what  classification  it  is  filed 
under.  This  extreme  ease  of  operation  and  great 
flexibility   of   use   makes    it   a    simple    matter   to 

[  no  1 


HOW  TO  RECORD  INQUIRIES 

keep  even  the  largest  list  right  up  to  date  at  all 
times. 

The  most  modern  and  efficient  form  of  card- 
index  is  the  Addressograph  system.  This  system 
contains  all  the  good  points  of  the  card-index 
method  but  goes  much  further — in  that  it  prac- 
tically operates  itself.  With  the  Addressograph 
system  there  is  no  need  to  have  clerks  laboriously 
hand-write  envelopes,  wrappers,  etc.,  from  the 
names  and  addresses  on  the  records.  For,  by 
running  the  "cards"  through  the  Addressograph 
they  automatically  print  in  facsimile  typewriting 
the  names  and  addresses  that  appear  on  them. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  Address- 
ograph system: 

When  any  names  are  to  be  placed  on  your 
mailing  list,  as,  for  example,  when  inquiries  are 
received  they  are  referred  to  the  Addressograph 
operator. 

She  then  takes  a  blank  Addressograph  name- 
plate  (Figure  I)  for  each  name,  and  places  it  in 
a  graphotype.  A  graphotype  is  a  machine  that 
embosses  typewriter-style  type  on  metal  plates. 


Figure  J:    Blank  name-plate  before  it  is  placed  in  the  graphotype 
to  be  embossed  tvith  a  prospect's  name  and  address 

I   51    ] 


PREPARING  RECORDS  THAT— 

After  this  operation,  which  can  be  performed 
by  a  young  boy  or  girl  almost  as  quickly  as  type 
writing  a  name  and  address  on  an  envelope,  the 
name-plate  looks  like  this,  (Figure  II)  : 


,  r.VtSMK  TOE! 

I  inure   II:     Xntne-pltite    tmbossmd    with    the  prospect's 
nurnc  and  mlilress 

An  impression  of  this  name-plate  is  then 
made  on  a  special  card,  and  both  the  card  and 
the  name-plate  are  inserted  in  a  metal  holder 
measuring  5  in.  by  3  in. — regular  card-index 
size  (Figure  III).  Cards  are  supplied  with 
rulings  to  meet  every  need. 


m 


ANDERSON     &     CRAWFORD, 
1921     BROADWAY, 

NEW     YORK  ,N .Y 


( 


Business  . 

Rating..... 

Customer. 


..       -L 


Catalogues 


,  CUT  DTOAfflg)    n>    M  9  B  Si  51  m  \ 


'U 


Fiuur*'  Hi-    Standard  eord-indait    »/.-<•   metal   plat*  holdtt* 

i  nntiiinitw  a  <  tint-index  <  tittl  mul  n  rm  till  nume-plnte 

[  N   | 


—REPRODUCE  THEMSELVES 

The  next  step  is  to  mark  on  the  name-plate 
the  classification  under  which  it  is  to  be  filed. 
This  is  done  by  inserting  a  metal  tab  in  any  one 
of  several  slots  at  the  tops  of  the  plate.  Figure 
IV.  shows  some  of  the  various  kinds  of  index 
tabs  that  can  be  used  to  care  for  any  desired 
system  of  classification.  These  metal  tabs  can 
be  inserted  in  or  removed  from  the  name-plate 
in  less  than  a  second.  They  can  be  placed  in 
different  positions  to  denote  classifications. 


Figure  IV:    A.  few  of  the  many  kinds  of  metal  index  tabs  used  for 
classifying  card-index  plates 

The  plates  are  then  placed  in  a  filing  drawer 
labeled  "Today's  Inquiries."  When  plates  have 
been  made  for  all  the  names,  they  are  placed 
in  the  Addressograph  and  the  necessary  envel- 
opes, postal  cards  or  circulars  addressed. 

When  this  is  done  the  plates  are  filed  away 
in  an  Addressograph  card-index  drawer  in  the 
same  way  as  regular  card-index  cards  (Figure  V). 
When  it  is  desired  to  use  the  plates  for  address- 
ing, the  entire  drawer  is  simply  placed  in  the 
Addressograph,  and  the  machine  started.  As 
the     plates     run     through     the     Addressograph 

[  53  ] 


A    SELF-ADDRESSING    SYSTEM 

impressions  are  taken  from  them  at  printing 
point  after  which  they  are  automatically 
returned  to  the  original  drawer  in  the  same 
order  in  which  they  were  filed.  As  their 
original  order  of  filing  is  not  disturbed,  there  is 
no  possibility  of  their  becoming  mixed. 


/5v  ''u  3v3 


Figure  V:    Showing  how  the  metal  plates   are  filed  the  same  as 
cards  in  a  standard  card-index  drawer 


Figure  VI  shows  the  universal  Address- 
ograph  which  does  addressing  of  all  kinds.  It 
automatically  selects  any  classification  of  names, 
addresses  envelopes,  etc.,  for  the  classification 
you  desire,  and  skips  the  others.  The  operator 
simply  starts  the  machine  and  it  does  automati- 
cally in  a  few  hours  work  that  ordinarily  requires 
days  of  concentrated  brain  work.  There  are 
other  models  of  the  Addressograph — twenty  in 
all — adapted  for  every  conceivable  kind  of  ad- 
dressing and  record-handling  need. 

The  Adressograph  is  the  recognized  stand- 
ard addressing  machine  for  maintaining  and  ad- 

l  M  1 


$2.50    OR    7c    A    THOUSAND— WHICH? 


dressing  mailing  lists  of 
all  kinds.  Its  complete 
card-index  features,  and 
its  flexible  error-proof 
method  of  classifying 
and  automatically  se- 
lecting names  and  lists, 
makes  it  indispensable 
to  advertisers. 

Figure  VII  shows  an 
exact-size  reproduction 
of  an  Addressographed 
address — clean-cut,  fac- 
simile typewriting,  standard  pica-size  type.  To 
produce  similar  address  individually  with  a 
typewriter  costs  $2.50  a  thousand,  and  a  typist 
can  average  only  seven  hundred  and  fifty  ad- 
dresses a  day.  With  an  Addressograph,  one  six- 
teen-year-old girl  can  produce  25,000  addresses  a 
day,  at  a  cost  of  only  seven  cents  a  thousand. 
And  not  only  this,  but  it  is  mechanically  im- 
possible to  misspell  a  name  or  write  a  number 
incorrectly,  or  to  fail  to  address  every  name  on 
the  list. 


Figure    VI:   Showing    a    sixteon-ycar-old 
girl  using  the  universal  Addressograph 
to  produce  25,000  different  typewritten 
addresses  a  day 


Mr.  Howard  Vincent , 0' Brien , 

334  Michigan  Avenue, 
Chicago,  111- 

Figure   VII:    The   exact  size   of   an  Addressographed  address 
[  55  ] 


FLEXIBILITY  AND  ACCURACY 

You  can  classify  your  names  in  any  way  you 
wish — it  makes  no  difference  to  the  Address- 
ograph.  It  will  automatically  select  the  right 
name  from  the  most  complicated  system  just  as 
easily  as  it  will  handle  a  straight  list  of  names 
with  no  classification. 

Among  the  hundreds  of  different  systems 
that  various  concerns  operate  with  an  Address- 
ograph  are  many  that  are  marvels  of  detail  and 
ingenuity.  At  first  glance  it  seems  impossible 
for  even  a  human  being,  much  less  a  machine,  to 
operate  them  efficiently.  Yet  the  Addressograph 
cares  for  them  with  the  utmost  ease.  It  is  safe 
to  say  that  this  machine  will  handle  efficiently 
practically  any  system  that  the  human  brain  can 
devise. 

The  McCaskey  Register  Company,  of 
Alliance,  Ohio,  uses  the  Addressograph  to  issue 
advertising  matter  to  a  list  of  approximately 
365,000  retail  merchants  scattered  throughout  the 
country.  This  company  realizes  that  "gener- 
alities make  poor  sales  arguments,"  and  that  a 
sales-appeal  that  will  pull  orders  from  one  type 
of  retailer  will  often  fall  flat  when  used  on  re- 
tailers of  another  type. 

This  company  has  developed  the  person- 
alization of  its  mail-sales  matter  to  a  high  degree. 
Its  list  of  365,000  prospects  is  divided  into  seven 
distinct  lines  of  trade;  and  each  line  of  trade 
is  further  divided  into  five  classifications  accord- 
ing to  financial  rating — thirty-five  distinct  class- 

[  56  ] 


A    MACHINE   THAT   DOES   BRAIN-WORK 

ifications  in  all.  Separate  mail  matter  is  used  for 
each  of  these  divisions.  For  example:  a  price 
circular  can  be  sent  to  the  entire  list  irrespective 
of  classification;  or  all  of  those  persons  in  a 
certain  line  of  business  can  be  addressed;  or  all 
businesses  of  a  certain  financial  rating;  or  all 
butchers  having  certain  rating. 

Think  what  a  tremendous  amount  of  detail 
work  would  be  involved,  and  what  chances  for 
error  would  occur  in  an  attempt  to  handle  this 
complicated  system  by  means  of  clerks.  Such  an 
undertaking  would  necessitate  a  large  staff  of 
clerks  whose  sole  business  would  be  to  care  for 
the  system.  And  even  then,  despite  the  utmost 
care,  errors  would  creep  in  and  kill  the  produc- 
tiveness of  the  advertising  matter.  Everyone 
who  has  had  experience  with  human  fallibility  in 
handling  follow-up  systems  will  realize  the  truth 
of  this  statement. 

Yet  the  Addressograph  handles  this  com- 
plicated system  with  ease  and  inviolable  accuracy. 
It  simply  cannot  make  a  mistake.  It  enables  the 
McCaskey  Register  Company  to  follow  up  from 
1,000  to  20,000  prospects  a  day,  at  the  same  time 
sending  individualized  sales  literature  to  each 
classification  of  prospects.  It  would  take  a  staff 
of  skilled  addressers  at  least  a  week  to  issue 
such  a  mailing.  Yet,  with  an  Addressograph, 
one  girl  can  handle  the  entire  job  in  less  than  a 
day. 

[  57  ] 


INDIVIDUALIZING   THE   APPEAL 

Another  example:  The  Timken-Detroit  Axle 
Company  sells  axles  to  automobile  manufacturers. 
The  bulk  of  its  sales-promotion  work  is  concen- 
trated on  automobile  dealers  with  the  idea  of 
influencing  them  to  specify  Timken-Detroit  axles 
in  ordering  cars  from  manufacturers. 

Each  dealer  usually  handles  three  grades  of 
car,  say,  a  low-priced  car  (Ford),  a  medium-priced 
car  (Chalmers),  and  a  high-priced  car  (Pierce- 
Arrow.)  The  axle  needs  of  each  make  of  car 
are  different.  Thus  it  is  impractical  to  send  the 
same  sales-literature  to  all  dealers.  Each  dealer 
needs  to  receive  matter  that  deals  exclusively 
with  the  make  of  car  he  handles.  To  maintain  a 
separate  dealer  list  for  each  make  of  car  would 
be  impracticable,  in  that  it  would  result  in  end- 
less duplication  of  records  and  consequent  con- 
fusion, to  say  nothing  of  the  time  required  to 
operate  such  an  unwieldy  system. 

The  Timken-Detroit  Company  has  solved 
the  problem  by  operating  an  Addressograph 
system  that  automatically  cares  for  312  different 
classifications  in  their  mailing  lists.  Dealers 
names  are  entered  on  Addressograph  name-plates 
and  filed  geographically.  The  various  classi- 
fications are  made  by  inserting  metal  tabs  in  the 
name-plate.  Thus,  an  "A"  tab  placed  in  the  first 
socket  signifies  a  "Ford"  dealer;  a  "B"  tab  placed 
in  the  second  socket  indicates  a  "Cole"  dealer, 

[  58  ] 


A  MACHINE  THAT  ALMOST  THINKS 

and  so  on  through  the  list.  By  means  of  a  tab 
chart,  dealers  handling  any  make  of  car  can 
instantly  be  located.  To  address  envelopes  to 
dealers  in  any  make  of  car,  a  clerk  takes  from 
the  card-index  all  cards  bearing  the  tab  classi- 
fication, inserts  them  in  a  special  drawer,  and 
then  places  them  in  the  Addressograph.  Clean- 
cut,  letter-perfect,  fac-simile  typewritten  ad- 
dresses are  automatically  produced  at  the  rate 
of  2,000  an  hour.  Once  each  month  wrappers  for 
a  house-organ  are  also  addressed  to  the  entire 
list,  irrespective  of  classification. 

The  follow-up  system  of  the  average  concern 
does  not  call  for  as  many  classifications  as  that 
of  the  McCaskey  Register  Company  or  the  Tim- 
ken-Detroit  Company.  In  handling  a  smaller  list 
with  the  Addressograph  it  is  not  even  necessary 
to  take  out  from  the  main  list  the  classification  of 
name-plates  that  it  is  desired  to  address.  An 
attachment  known  as  the  automatic  bell-signal 
device  is  set  to  correspond  with  the  signal  tabs 
on  the  classification  to  be  addressed.  The  entire 
list  is  then  run  through  the  Addressograph.  As 
the  name-plates  of  the  desired  classification  pass 
through  the  Addressograph  they  form  an  electric 
contact  and  ring  a  bell.  At  this  signal  the 
operator  allows  the  machine  to  address  the  wrap- 
per, envelope,  or  postal  card  as  the  case  may  be. 
Address  plates  not  in  the  classification  desired, 
give  no  signal.    The  operator  skips  all  such  plates 

[  59  ] 


GREATER  SPEED  AND  LOWER  COST 


by  simply  pressing  his  knee  against  the  lever 
that  operates  the  skipping  device. 

The  Addressograph  can  be  made  to  print 
addresses  for  any  desired  classification  simply  by 
moving  a  stop,  similar  to  the  stops  used  on  a 
typewriter  tabulator.  The  stop  can  be  moved 
to  any  classification  in  one  second. 

Consider  the  comparative  advantages  in 
handling  lists  of  names  by  means  of  clerks,  and 
also  by  machinery,  with  the  Addressograph. 

Figure  it  any  way  you  will,  it  costs  you  in 
clerk-hire  from  $1.25  a  thousand  for  handwritten 
addresses  to  $2.50  a  thousand  for  typewritten 
addresses.  This  is  for  clerk-hire  alone.  It  does 
not  include  rent  for  the  space  the  clerks  occupy 
while  they  are  addressing.  Where  a  large  list  of 
names  is  handled,  the  cost  of  floor  space  to 
accommodate  the  addressers  working  on  them  is 
considerable.  Consider  also  the  time  taken — even 
the  most  skilled  addresser  cannot  average  more 
than  1,000  hand-written  or  750  typewritten  ad- 
dresses a  day. 

One  sixteen-year-old  boy  or  girl  with  an 
Addressograph  can  produce  from  2,000  to  3,000 
typewritten  addresses  an  hour,  at  a  cost  of  only 
seven  cents  a  thousand.  No  large  amount  of 
floor  space  is  required — an  entire  Addressograph 
equipment  can  be  operated  in  an  odd  corner  of  the 
office.  Where  it  takes  a  staff  of  clerks  a  week  or 
more    to    address    envelopes    for   a    list   of,    say, 

[  oo  ] 


CUTTING  THE  COST  OF  OFFICE  WORK 

20,000  names,  a  boy  or  girl  with  an  Addressograph 
can  do  it  in  a  day. 

No  matter  how  careful  your  clerks  are,  they 
will  make  mistakes — even  the  most  skilled  clerk 
is  not  infallible.  Omission  to  address  just  one 
envelope  may  mean  the  loss  of  a  good  sale.  In- 
correctly or  illegibly  written  addresses  result  in 
heavy  returns  through  the  Dead  Letter  Office. 
Each  letter  thus  returned  not  only  represents  a 
lost  sale,  but  actual  time  and  money  spent  in 
handling  it.  In  hand-addressing  a  large  list, 
scores  of  such  mistakes  are  bound  to  be  made. 

With  an  Addressograph  it  is  a  mechanical 
impossibility  to  omit  to  address  envelopes  for 
every  name  on  the  list ;  it  is  also  impossible  to 
address  an  envelope  illegibly  or  incorrectly. 
Mistakes  of  this  nature  simply  cannot  occur. 
Thus,  there  are  no  losses  through  these  causes 
when  an  Addressograph  is  used. 

The  mere  saving  of  time  and  labor  in  ad- 
dressing is  but  one  of  the  many  features  of  the 
Addressograph.  It  affords  every  feature  of  a 
perfect  card-index,  so  simplifying  the  main- 
tenance of  the  list  that  it  is  easily  kept  up  to 
date.  So  flexible  and  complete  are  the  card 
indexes  of  the  Addressograph  that  lists  so  main- 
tained can  be  arranged  and  classified  to  suit 
the  most  exacting  requirements. 

Operating  cost  is  one  of  the  most  vital  ele- 
ments in  business.  It  is  the  balance  wheel  be- 
tween profit  and  loss.    Many  a  business  is  being 

[  61  ] 


WHY    NOT    MAKE    THIS    SAVING    NOW? 

strangled  to  death  by  excessive  operating  costs 
due  to  antiquated  methods.  Machinery  has 
shaved  down  the  cost  of  manufacturing  goods 
almost  to  the  vanishing  point.  It  will  likewise 
shave  down  the  cost  of  office  work  and  of  selling 
your  goods.  To  continue  to  do  by  hand  work 
that  can  be  done  quicker,  easier,  cheaper  and 
better  by  machine  is  to  drive  away  dollars  that 
literally  come  to  you  and  asked  to  be  banked. 

Look  around  your  office  now  for  opportu- 
nities to  cut  the  cost  of  routine  work.  Start 
where  the  biggest  saving  is  possible.  Look  care- 
fully into  your  methods  of  addressing  and  record- 
handling.  Figure  your  present  costs  carefully. 
You'll  find  addressing  alone  costs  you  from  $1.25 
to  $2.50  a  thousand  names.  Why  continue  to 
pay  this  exorbitant  price  week  in  and  week  out 
when  an  Addressograph  will  do  the  work  for 
you  more  expeditiously  and  absolutely  without 
error  at  an  average  cost  of  only  7  cents  a  thou- 
sand?    Why  not  make  this  saving  now? 


I    68    | 


III!    LIBRARY 
l  \I\  l  R.S1  M    oi    CALIFORN1  V 

S.IMl.l    If. II  I). II  .1 


THIS  HOOK   IS  DUE   ON    llll    LAST   DVTE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


*  :flffl3 


3    1205   00142  0874 


AA    000  785  302     I 


